A Montessori childhood looks a little different, the child is met where they are, and allowed to flourish at their own pace, in their own time. This page is about what that actually means, and how we walk it alongside families.
Montessori rests in faith in each child as a potential new beginning for humanity, and the creator of the adult they will become.
Every child possesses an inner force that drives them to grow and learn. We respect this natural curiosity, which makes learning an imperative, as much a fundamental need to the child as food, shelter, and love.
Our classrooms are built on a set of convictions, a few of which are named below. We hold to them steadfastly, because we believe a child raised with dignity, respect, and empathy grows into an adult who carries peace into the world.
Every child possesses an inner force that drives them to grow and learn. Our role, as adults, is to observe their natural interests and activities, and provide an environment in which they can develop and learn.
Each child works at their own pace. They can work individually, work in groups, and help other children with work they have already mastered. The community itself becomes a teacher in a way no single adult can be.
Children are revealed as lovers of work, both of the intellect and of the hand. This work is spontaneously chosen and carried out with profound joy. Following their inner direction, children discover their unique pattern of learning and find satisfaction in work.
Maria Montessori believed that self-motivation is the only valid impulse for learning. We do away with competition as a prime motivation. Children work because the work itself is interesting, not because they are being measured against one another.
We allow each child to grow in independence by respecting their needs, offering guidance where it helps, and resisting the urge to do for them what they can do themselves. The liberty a child finds in a Montessori environment is not permissive license, it is the ground on which genuine self-discipline grows.
Children are guided and empowered to work out their social dynamics to the benefit of their moral development. When a child is encouraged to develop understanding, compassion, and respect, they cultivate their own self-discipline, and a genuine empathy for others.
Parent education, book clubs, family events. Together, we carry the work of education for peace, because we cannot hand our children a gentler world.
We can only become it.
A Montessori childhood asks something enriching of the adults around it, too: the patience to observe, the trust to step back. So we open two doors. One leads into the classroom, to understand the deeper work of Montessori. The other opens into our parent education, a warm, unjudging place to find your footing, and a reminder that you are not doing this alone.
A two-day immersion in the Montessori classroom from the child's point of view. Parents move through the rooms in silence, work with the materials themselves, and emerge with a real feel for what their children do all day.
Offered periodically for current and prospective families.
Register your interest →A workshop series for parents and caregivers looking for long-term skills to encourage children to think for themselves, build responsibility, and grow in respect for themselves and others. An "encouragement model" rooted in kindness and firmness, bringing more joy into the home.
Offered each semester at the Gaines Creek Campus. Led by Jinny Gonzalez and Sveta Pais, both certified Positive Discipline Parent Educators.
Register your interest →Come walk through a dynamic classroom in the morning. That's the thing we can't put on a page.
Book a visit →